KevinB Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Couldn't figure out how to reply to a post and add a photo! GRR Anyway here's my 4 rocks, all about cantaloupe sized. The first one shows the clam. There's another large clam but its status is TBD. These are clams? or are they mussels? Found a couple of live bristle worms. No crabs or mantis yet. If you see anything interesting in the photos, point it out. I still don't know what most of this stuff is yet Can anyone ID the flat cactus like macro? thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted December 22, 2011 Author Share Posted December 22, 2011 I take it back, I got 4 of the clams and they are all alive. One you can see in the last photo, it is half covered with coral. So cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 http://reefcleaners.org/index.php? page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=61&category_id=6&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=34 I can not see a clear picture. Look at the above link of Halmedia. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=490+1739&pcatid=1739 Common name of Maiden Fan. Look at this picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted December 22, 2011 Author Share Posted December 22, 2011 I'll get a better photo later, but it looks a lot like the halmedia, except the edges are circular not scalloped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 (edited) a few more pics... Any ideas on what type of coral that is? I'm hoping it's alive, that and the large orange sponge Edited December 23, 2011 by Peyote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Cob Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 great looking rock! I'm always so scared of pests...did you get any yet? The cactus like macro is Halimeda, looks exactly like mine, I'd put money on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 great looking rock! I'm always so scared of pests...did you get any yet? The cactus like macro is Halimeda, looks exactly like mine, I'd put money on it. So far so good. I had this shipped via 3day ground, so I found a few dead crabs. The only other critters have been a couple of bristle worms, and a few wormy things emerging from the rock and some copepods. Nothing else noticed yet. I don't see anything on it that resembles aptasia or an anemone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 I'm a "use dead rock" kinda guy, but wow, that's some nice-looking liverock....chuch full of life you can't buy and add later on. Nice score. May I ask the supplier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 (edited) great looking rock! I'm always so scared of pests...did you get any yet? The cactus like macro is Halimeda, looks exactly like mine, I'd put money on it. So far so good. I had this shipped via 3day ground, so I found a few dead crabs. The only other critters have been a couple of bristle worms, and a few wormy things emerging from the rock and some copepods. Nothing else noticed yet. I don't see anything on it that resembles aptasia or an anemone. hmm I'll be near pensacola FL and wonder if I could score something like this for my new tank, could bring it back in the car with me. Where did it come from? Edited December 23, 2011 by BiocubeD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 (edited) I'm a "use dead rock" kinda guy, but wow, that's some nice-looking liverock....chuch full of life you can't buy and add later on. Nice score. May I ask the supplier? It looks a little better even now that I've brushed off some of the debris and dead stuff. The orange and red encrusting sponges really pop now, I just hope they survive. My supplier was www.floridaliverock.com Dale is a one man operation, he drops the rock and dives to collect it himself I believe. I had it shipped UPS Ground, but he also does same day air shipping. Everything was packed in a plastic bag and covers with wet paper towels. Almost all the rock was still wet, just one little part that was on top had come uncovered and was dry. Edited December 23, 2011 by Peyote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 (edited) great looking rock! I'm always so scared of pests...did you get any yet? The cactus like macro is Halimeda, looks exactly like mine, I'd put money on it. So far so good. I had this shipped via 3day ground, so I found a few dead crabs. The only other critters have been a couple of bristle worms, and a few wormy things emerging from the rock and some copepods. Nothing else noticed yet. I don't see anything on it that resembles aptasia or an anemone. hmm I'll be near pensacola FL and wonder if I could score something like this for my new tank, could bring it back in the car with me. Where did it come from? www.floridaliverock.com Note that Dale has several grades of rock, including Decorator, Premium Coralline, Coralline, etc. The rocks you see here are considered "Premium Coralline" and ran $3 per pound! Edited December 23, 2011 by Peyote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 (edited) You see this thing that looks like an orange pickle in the 3rd photo of my second set of photos? It's about 4" long. I assume its a sponge, it has one or two small holes in the end. Anyway, when I brushed the debris off it, it retracted ever so slightly and firmed up a little. Am I right in assuming its a sponge? Does the reaction mean it's in good shape and might thrive? Has anyone else seen something like that? I also found a few mushrooms that are still intact, here's hoping they are alive! Edited December 23, 2011 by Peyote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Is that URL correct? Did you mean www.floridaliverock.com? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 oops yes that's the one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 Found another life form that I'm curious about, I've circled it in the photo. It has two pink tubes coming up, can't tell if they are connected. It retracts when touched. It has a ring of what looks like tentacles on the edge of each tube. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 You see this thing that looks like an orange pickle in the 3rd photo of my second set of photos? It's about 4" long. I assume its a sponge, it has one or two small holes in the end. Anyway, when I brushed the debris off it, it retracted ever so slightly and firmed up a little. Am I right in assuming its a sponge? Does the reaction mean it's in good shape and might thrive? Has anyone else seen something like that? I also found a few mushrooms that are still intact, here's hoping they are alive! Most likely it's a sponge. If it's still alive and you are past any ammonia spike from curing the rock it should survive. Some sponges have a fair amount of movement and can close up when disturbed and some tunicates will look similar but if you look closely they will have a distinct intake and exhale openings similar to some clams. In the first picture of the second set you posted it looks like you may have two different corals the one just left of center my first guess is Oculina robusta, Robust ivory Tree Coral (order scleractinia, not part of the tree corals in the black coral group order Antipatharia). Dichocoenia stokesii, Elliptical Star Coral, and Favia fragum, Golfball Coral, are two other possibilities. In the same picture directly underneath it is what might be a small Oculina diffusa, Diffuse Ivory Bush Coral. Fortunately since these are on cultured live rock they are technically aquacultured specimens and are legal to keep. Collecting wild Florida corals is illegal. When I cure live rock I keep it raised off the bottom several inches with some eggcrate on pieces of PVC, this helps removing stuff that falls off and if there is a mantis shrimp you're more likely to find it. (My experience the odds of undesirables is low, there's a much greater risk I'm going to have fish that should cohabitate kill each other.) This is some real nice looking stuff! Just getting those two corals alone is probably worth the price and everything else is just frosting on the cake. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Wow. NICE purchase! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 You see this thing that looks like an orange pickle in the 3rd photo of my second set of photos? It's about 4" long. I assume its a sponge, it has one or two small holes in the end. Anyway, when I brushed the debris off it, it retracted ever so slightly and firmed up a little. Am I right in assuming its a sponge? Does the reaction mean it's in good shape and might thrive? Has anyone else seen something like that? I also found a few mushrooms that are still intact, here's hoping they are alive! Most likely it's a sponge. If it's still alive and you are past any ammonia spike from curing the rock it should survive. Some sponges have a fair amount of movement and can close up when disturbed and some tunicates will look similar but if you look closely they will have a distinct intake and exhale openings similar to some clams. In the first picture of the second set you posted it looks like you may have two different corals the one just left of center my first guess is Oculina robusta, Robust ivory Tree Coral (order scleractinia, not part of the tree corals in the black coral group order Antipatharia). Dichocoenia stokesii, Elliptical Star Coral, and Favia fragum, Golfball Coral, are two other possibilities. In the same picture directly underneath it is what might be a small Oculina diffusa, Diffuse Ivory Bush Coral. Fortunately since these are on cultured live rock they are technically aquacultured specimens and are legal to keep. Collecting wild Florida corals is illegal. When I cure live rock I keep it raised off the bottom several inches with some eggcrate on pieces of PVC, this helps removing stuff that falls off and if there is a mantis shrimp you're more likely to find it. (My experience the odds of undesirables is low, there's a much greater risk I'm going to have fish that should cohabitate kill each other.) This is some real nice looking stuff! Just getting those two corals alone is probably worth the price and everything else is just frosting on the cake. Thanks for the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted December 24, 2011 Author Share Posted December 24, 2011 The orange pickle has been confirmed as a tunicate... The intake siphon has opened up more recently, and I finally saw a small exhallent vent on the side. I'm more hopeful and a little more optimistic about it surviving since its not a sponge. Any tips on taking care of a sea squirt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cMidd Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 you're gonna have to feed it...I think phytoplankton or marine snow...I know a few times a week for sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 Our sponges from TBS have been slowly dying off (a couple are still with us but the saguaro looking ones are almost all gone now) but the tunicates are doing great. We put kent products as well as rod's food and reef chili in the water, which I think is doing a pretty good job of feeding them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted December 26, 2011 Author Share Posted December 26, 2011 Thanks for the tip, did yours have to go through an ammonia cycle? That's what mine is going through now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 We started with dead rock (the rock wall plus some leftovers) and dead sand; fed it ammonia daily until the cycle started, then ordered our live rock and sand. It cycled again, but since we had 100 lbs of rock wall and 50 lbs of sand with bacteria already started, the cycle went pretty fast. After that finished we got the second shipment of live rock and the other stuff (anemones, sponges, crabs, etc...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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